Mouth-to-Mouth—Force It In!

Time seemed to stretch endlessly until the deafening roars of heaven and earth finally subsided. The sun had risen in the meantime, its golden rays spilling over the endless snowfield, casting a faint, golden glow across the expanse.

Suddenly, the snowfield stirred.

A cautious black-and-blue cat head poked out from the snow, warily searching for the cursed pink bug.

Matatabi could sense that the pink bug was no longer clinging to it.

The massive cat head scanned its surroundings. Confirming the pink menace had departed, it finally emerged from the snow, its massive paws crunching against the snowfield.

Matatabi shook itself vigorously, sending snowflakes flying in every direction. With its hindquarters raised high, it stretched its sore body lazily.

But at that moment, a shadow loomed over it.

A gigantic slug descended from the sky, accompanied by an angry roar!

Instinctively, Matatabi raised its head to look.

"Summoning Jutsu: Katsuyu's Roof-Crushing Technique!"

It was that accursed pink bug again!

"Katsuyu-sama! Can't you summon me normally next time?!"

"And for the record, I hate cold places!"

The venerable Katsuyu's voice echoed with exasperation, trembling slightly from the freezing air.

"Next time for sure, Katsuyu-sama! Please bear with me!" Sakura's voice carried an air of urgency as she leaped hundreds of meters into the air, locking onto the advancing Monkey King Enma below.

Without hesitation, she performed another summoning jutsu.

"Summoning Jutsu: Monkey King Enma!"

Matatabi, now panicking, attempted to flee. But Katsuyu, despite her gentle demeanor, wouldn't ignore Sakura's plea.

After all, she was a sage capable of rivaling the great beings of Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku! Under her unwavering focus, Matatabi had nowhere to run.

"Meow!"

Boom!

Katsuyu landed precisely on Matatabi, shaking the earth and scattering snow and countless tiny slugs in all directions.

"Monkey King Enma—Extendable Staff!"

"Make it bigger!"

Still mid-air, Sakura shouted decisively.

"Got it!"

Without hesitation, Enma transformed into a golden staff, expanding rapidly. In moments, a giant iron pillar dozens of meters long appeared in the sky.

Sakura landed on the staff and sprinted to the other end, unleashing a powerful kick.

"Heavenly Keeper Kick!"

Her kick sent the staff hurtling with unprecedented speed, striking Matatabi just as it shakily tried to rise.

Boom!

Matatabi felt as if it had been struck by lightning. Its massive eyes rolled back, and consciousness fled instantly.

The black-and-blue form dissolved into a wisp, revealing Yugito's body. The essence of the Two-Tails retreated back into its Jinchūriki.

Unconcerned with Yugito's unconscious form, Enma turned his attention to Sakura, still falling.

Thud!

Sakura landed face-first in the snow, sending up a spray of white powder.

"Uh, heh...sorry about that," Enma muttered, scratching his head awkwardly.

Emerging from the snow, Sakura shot him a glare.

Ignoring Enma's embarrassment, Sakura quickly checked Yugito's condition. She was still alive—unsurprisingly tough, even after all this chaos.

Sakura retrieved steel wires from her pouch, binding the Jinchūriki securely. Enma effortlessly hefted Yugito onto his shoulder.

Casting a glance over the endless snowfield, Sakura's mind raced. The supplies she intended to destroy were buried under the snow. Worse, they were deep in enemy territory. If Kumogakure forces arrived, even she'd have to retreat.

If news of Yugito's capture spread, Killer Bee or the Raikage might pursue her personally.

Darui and the Kumogakure unit had retreated earlier to support Yugito, so they wouldn't be far behind.

"Let's go, Enma-sama. Take me to Sasuke."

Sakura's voice was calm, but resolute.

--

Guided by Enma, Sakura soon found Shino and the others waiting at the base of a mountain.

"Sakura!"

Kiba's eyes lit up at the sight of her pink hair, but he restrained himself, knowing they weren't out of danger yet.

Sakura ignored Kiba and Shino, rushing straight to Sasuke's side.

They had administered emergency care, but it was little more than hastily wrapped bandages.

A massive wound stretched across Sasuke's chest, his blood soaking through the bandages and clothing.

Sakura's eyes darkened as she carefully unwound the bandages. Without looking back, she ordered, "Boil some water and dissolve a ration pill into it."

Green chakra glowed faintly in her hands as she began treating Sasuke.

His injuries were critical; proper treatment required returning to Konoha's base. For now, all she could do was stabilize him.

Seeing Sasuke's pale face, barely clinging to life, Sakura's mind raced. She muttered under her breath, almost instinctively:

"Itachi Uchiha."

To her surprise, one of Sasuke's fingers twitched.

It worked!

At that moment, Kiba carefully approached with the dissolved ration pill.

"Feed it to him," Sakura instructed.

Kiba tried but found Sasuke unresponsive.

"It's not working—what now?"

Sakura shot him a glare.

"Use your brain! If he won't swallow, force it!"

"And if that doesn't work, drink it yourself and feed him mouth-to-mouth!"

Kiba froze, horrified.

"What, you want me to do it?" Sakura snapped.

Kiba hesitated, but with a deep breath, he pried Sasuke's mouth open and managed to pour in the liquid.

Miraculously, Sasuke began to swallow, his throat moving slightly. Kiba exhaled in relief, wiping nonexistent sweat from his brow.

At least he didn't have to lose his first kiss to another guy.

As Sasuke's color returned faintly, Sakura finally relaxed, though her expression remained solemn.

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